There’s still a huge amount of disagreement about just what Web 2.0 means, with some people decrying it as a meaningless marketing buzzword, and others accepting it as the new conventional wisdom.
Clearly, on the consumer side of things, Web 2.0 refers to blogs, Wikis, social networks, mashups. In other words, people using lightweight applications to publish their own content on the Internet and to connect with and collaborate with others using Web-based applications.
So, where’s the enterprise angle?
First, enterprises have been trying, mostly unsuccessfully, to impose top-down knowledge management, content management and collaboration systems. And employees have been resistant to those complex, rigid systems that add extra work to their busy lives.
Web. 2.0 technologies like blogs and Wikis are different. The technology doesn’t seem “corporate.” It doesn’t require training. The software is so easy-to-use that individuals or small workgroups can start a blog or a Wiki in no time, rather than having to go through the bureaucracy of getting a new application deployed through traditional IT channels. And Web 2.0 technologies represent the kind of bottom-up community that has more of a chance to take root, grow and continue to be used over time.
Web 1.0 Web 2.0
DoubleClick –> Google AdSense
Ofoto –> Flickr
Akamai –> BitTorrent
mp3.com –> Napster
Britannica Online –> Wikipedia
personal websites –> blogging
evite –> upcoming.org and EVDB
domain name speculation –> search engine optimization
page views –> cost per click
screen scraping –> web services
publishing –> participation
content management systems –> wikis
directories (taxonomy) –> tagging (“folksonomy”)
stickiness –> syndication
*Reference: http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/oreilly/tim/news/2005/09/30/what-is-web-20.html
For example, Serena Software is now using Facebook as its corporate intranet. Every week on “Facebook Fridays,” the company’s 800 employees are given time to spend on their Facebook profiles and to connect with co-workers, family and friends.
Where does IT fit in? When it comes to Web 2.0, IT needs to enable the technology and then step out of the way and let communities spring up on their own.
The second point of intersection between consumer-driven Web 2.0 technologies and enterprise business needs occurs when companies tap into the so-called wisdom of crowds. The most well-publicized example is Procter & Gamble which is using collaborative Web sites such as InnoCentive to soliciting new product ideas from consumers, rather than completely relying on internal product development teams.
Whether you believe Web 2.0 is a fad, whether you think it’s not applicable to serious enterprise IT or whether you’re inclined to embrace it, it’s clear that Web 2.0 is something IT execs need to address.
Some of the IT professionals recommend that IT organizations start looking for specific ways that Web 2.0 technologies can help advance the business. Start small. Use low-cost, lightweight applications. Give employees the opportunity to pick up the ball and run with it.
REFERENCES:
http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/oreilly/tim/news/2005/09/30/what-is-web-20.html
http://www.networkworld.com/research/2008/011408-8-techs-web20.html?page=2
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[…] the Web 2.0 video which I originally posted. Here is a post by Alper from Stockholm which gives a nice written summary of the difference between the Webs 1.0 and 2.0 (or as they are properly know, the […]